


Lord's Coda

by MinaAffairs



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Chronic Illness, Epilogue, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fratricide, It's me so like obvious focus on Hordak, Post-Canon, Psychological Trauma, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, post war reparations, religious trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25500706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinaAffairs/pseuds/MinaAffairs
Summary: The war is over, and Prime is dead. Everything Hordak worked for, everything he believed in, has been destroyed in part by his own hands. It is time to move on, to rebuild and to grow, it is time to try and be part of a new world.Post-Canon Entrapdak Epilogue fic. Exploring Hordak and Entrapta's lives after the end of the war.
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 62





	Lord's Coda

**Author's Note:**

> We starting out light.

The end of the war, the end of an empire, the end of a God. It was all so very fast. It was almost too fast to really process any of it. Hordak had turned against his brother, struck him low. Only to immediately be taken over by Prime. It was a victory so quickly shattered. Through the haze of Prime's overwhelming presence Hordak had felt himself grab Entrapta, he heard her cries of anguish in his grasp,he heard himself declare the end of all things. 

Then he had felt the warmth of magic. The fear his brother experienced. The touch of She-Ra. Prime was purged from him, and he remembered. The choices he'd made. The ways he had been him. He remembered her. The child he had saved. He looked upon her as she saved him, as she helped him stand once more. Never had Hordak felt quite the combination of so much and so little to say. The look on She-Ra's face told him she understood this, that he did not need to say anything more. It was a calm moment, a serene moment, so unlike so much of his life.

Before Hordak could even fully process all of this Entrapta was upon him. She was so excited and happy to have him there. She leapt upon him, she hugged him close. Her love pushed away any moment of shock he could have had. The laughter was immediate and it was wonderful. She dragged him around to check on all of her friends, and while they were so unsure of him it didn't matter.

He was with her.

It was a celebration in that field. A universe given hope. 

Of course Hordak was never one for celebration and Entrapta had her focus entirely on him. So eventually Hordak and Entrapta found their way to a quiet spot. A place in the new grass that was just for them. She told him about everything she had experienced and seen while they were apart. She wanted him to know everything. She wanted to share it all with him, to make him part of her life. He smiled all the while, happy to listen to her, happy to be wanted by her

In time her talking petered out, and a silence came upon them. Entrapta, exhausted by events, leaning against him while they sit in the grass.

And it is in the silence that the shock, the doubts, the questions, all began to make their way to the surface.

Everything he had done, everything that had happened so fast. It all slams into Hordak as quickly as it had happened. Like a measured blow against his very being. He begins to tremble, then he gasps. He feels Entrapta lift away from him, her gaze immediately turning back to him but he can't meet her eyes.

"Hordak?" She asks with concern.

"What have I done?!" He hisses out. "I turned against my brother." He's staring at his own hands. His brother's hands. "I turned against my brother!" He repeats. "I brought only harm to this world and I turned against my brother for it! I am nothing!" He almost wants to sob.

His entire life's purpose, what he spent decades on Etheria trying to accomplish. He had thrown it all away. He had helped She-Ra kill his brother. Hordak's mind races, trying to parse it all. Trying to rectify the knowledge that what he did was right with the simple fact that he betrayed Prime. His Creator, his God, his entire reason for existence. Hordak's mind screams in the existential shock of it all, his very self reels in horror at everything he's feeling.

Then he feels Entrapta's gloved hand on his own. He looks down quickly, staring for just a moment as her fingers enwrap his before Entrapta's hair cups his face and tilts him to meet her gaze.

"Hordak!" She calls out to him. "It's okay!" Her voice is reassuring. It's soft. Kind. It's a voice he knows is only for him to hear. 

Hordak gasps, choking for air. He wants to sob. He tries to gather whatever strength he can to speak, to reply to her. He fails, only managing to choke on a sob."

But Entrapta continues. "You're free now." She smiles at him. "You can be whoever you want to be now." 

Somehow her words pull him back up. He can be whoever he wants to be now. He can be Hordak. 

Entrapta tugs him down a little, pressing his forehead against her own. "Entrapta..." He whispers out.

"You're Hordak." She says. "You weren't his brother." She repeats the sentiment he himself made before, reminding him. Then she tilts up. "You made a friend remember?" She adds, then her lips brush against his.

Hordak has to take a deep breath, but then he accepts the kiss. A soft, gentle, and somewhat awkward and inexperienced thing. 

"Yes." He quietly agrees as they part. His voice is still weak, a slight tremble present, but it is his voice and his words. "I did."

Hordak's arms wrap around Entrapta, and her own around him. Again their lips brush against each other. Slightly less awkward than before but still something that others might laugh at. It is wonderful to them though. It reassures Hordak of himself, and it seems to please Entrapta as well judging by her small positive sounding murmurs.

Then suddenly Entrapta's hair slaps and smooshes Hordak's cheeks! Giving his face a thorough squish! The Tech Princess gasps in shock and surprise. "We just kissed! Hordak we just kissed and I didn't get any recordings!" She shouts.

Hordak sputters in shock. Now not only is his momentary existential crisis gone but the moment of peace and calm is gone as well. "Recordings?!" He nearly shouts. "Were you planning to record us kissing!?"

"Yes! I've never kissed someone who wasn't a robot before so I wanted to make sure I had all the data of the event!" She says. Then she blushes red. "Ah. I mean. I have never kissed anyone before, except you now..." 

Hordak blinks as his mind churns through what he has just been told. He raises a claw as he collects his words. "You have kissed robots?"

"Yes! For science! To see what it's like!" She declares. "I don't have good data for our first kiss but I think it was better than the bots..." She notes.

Now Hordak blushes. "I- I would not know... It was my first kiss as well. I have not even kissed robots..." He notes.

Entrapta smiles up at him again. "Well I think it was good! And I would do it more! I need more data anyway!"

Hordak blinks again, then he begins to laugh. "Yes I would be happy to provide such experimental data for you Entrapta."

Suddenly Entrapta's arms are wrapped tight around Hordak again. It causes Hordak to regain his composure from his moment of laughter and look down at her. Briefly he worries if it's her turn to have an existential breakdown. Luckily however he can see her smiling as she's pressed against him. Then he hears her. "I'm so glad you're back." 

She has said it many times now. In just the few hours they have been together again she has reminded him again and again how happy she is to have him back. It's quieter in this moment, softer. Amazing how that can make it carry so much more weight.

Again Hordak embraces Entrapta in turn and this time he pulls them back down to lay properly in the grass. It is not exactly something Hordak would normally do but in this moment it somehow feels right. 

"I am glad to be back with you." Hordak replies, staring up into the cosmos above them as the ridiculous glow moon begins to set. "I believe I may have understated my feelings to Prime." He adds

He can feel Entrapta shift to look at him. He can sense her gaze upon him. "What do you mean?" Entrapta asks.

"I said I made a friend, but I believe an accurate term in Etherian parlance would be love. I love you, Entrapta."

The silence is heavy for a brief moment. Almost anxiety inducing. Then suddenly Entrapta squeals happily "I love you too!" She declares. "We should go tell everyone so we have witnesses!" She adds as she hops up, tugging Hordak with her.

"W-what?!" He sputters in shock, not actually prepared for this sudden change in trajectory. Of course Hordak does nothing to actually stop her as he is dragged up from the grass and off to follow the rest of the celebrating rebel forces.

The victory party is strange. At least to Hordak. Laughter, joy, celebration of a war just won. Of the death of a god and the collapse of the greatest empire ever known. Not to say he didn't take a measure of joy in it himself. It was different though, at least it seems to be different. For them the Horde was always the enemy, or something they never truly understood.

For Hordak? It had been everything, quite literally. 

But he has already had his breakdown over this. He has choked and cried and Entrapta has guided him through his panic attack. Just as she guides him here. He cannot help but smile, watching her as she forces them into people's conversations to talk to them and tell them about Hordak and their relationship. It's slightly embarrassing

"And Horde Prime ordered Hordak to dispose of me! But then Hordak turned around and shot Prime! And basically said he loves me!" Entrapta exclaims loudly to those around them. "I was so proud!"

Hordak can only chuckle a little. He ignores the looks of incredulity from some of the Princesses. He focuses on Entrapta's happiness. Though he does find some comfort in the small smiles and nods from a few. Catra, Adora, Queen Glimmer, those who understand more than the others who Prime was. Those who saw the struggle at its deeper level. Those who lived the monster.

Suddenly Hordak feels a tight pressure around his body. He lets out a loud "ACK" in surprise as strong arms squeeze him. Former Force Captain Scorpia is hugging him. Oh is she hugging him.

"I know we didn't always get along but I'm so proud of you too Hordak!" The scorpion princess declares. "Gosh I just can't even imagine what it must have been like to shoot the guy who created you and was also kind of your brother and your god. That must have been tough!"

"Yes. Perhaps do not say it exactly like that, Force Captain." Hordak grunts out. What's done is done, and had to be done, but it is somewhat uncomfortable to think of in those details.

"Oh I'm not a Force Captain anymore I'm a Princess." She says. "Though I'm not sure I'm a Princess of anything... The Black Garnet is in the Fright Zone so I guess I'm the Princess of there. The Fright Zone was sort of your thing though huh? Oh that's pretty awkward."

"If you release me you may have the Fright Zone." Hordak growls out.

"Really?!"

"Yes, but you must cease crushing me this instant."

"Oh! Okay! Sure! Deal!" Scorpia releases him. "Man a whole kingdom of my own... That's a lot of responsibility isn't it?" 

Hordak grunts as he catches himself and stretches his chest to try and regain lung capacity. "indeed. I ah... I do not remember all of the codes for the Fright Zone systems but I am sure Entrapta and I can recover them." He says awkwardly.

Entrapta finally pops over between them "I'D LOVE TO HACK THE FRIGHT ZONE AGAIN."

"Oh man... Wow." Scorpia is smiling, she gives a sniffle and has to very carefully wipe her eyes with a handkerchief Perfuma has handed her. "Thank you guys. I promise I'll take real good care of it." 

Hordak squints, moderately confused. "Are you crying?"

"What? No." Scorpia looks away bashfully, sniffling again. Tears clearly glinting on her cheek. "Okay yeah! I'm just so happy! I've got all these friends and now even you're one of them Hordak! You're giving me a kingdom and just... Gosh this is a lot."

"I... I see..." Hordak says slowly as he watches Entrapta pat Scorpia's back with a thick bundle of hair. "Well... You... Enjoy your crying. I will be..." He glances around, searching for an out from this. "over there." He nails it.

So Hordak slips away to stand in a corner watching the proceedings. He feels marginally out of place to say the least. Is it even okay for him to be here? He probably shouldn't be here. About half of the people present are giving him dirty looks, the other half mostly seem confused or scared when they look at him. He signs.

"Hordak!" Entrapta suddenly declares as she lowers from a catwalk above him. When did she even get there? It doesn't really matter. She has the expression of deep emotional thought on her face. Clearly she is considering something. "That was really nice of you! Are you going to live in the Fright Zone and help Scorpia or something else?" She asks expectantly.

Hordak blinks, he had not really given that much thought. It does seem he is rather homeless, the second time in his life he has been so. Scorpia would likely let him stay in his old Sanctum, and he is rather good at setting up nation states. It would be practical to pledge his allegiance to her, and a somewhat ironic repetition of history. His mind turns the idea over, analyzing it 

Then Entrapta's words echo in his mind. He can be anything he wants now, do anything he wants. Does he want that? Does he want to build another nation? Does he want to stay in the Fright Zone as he had for decades?

Finally Hordak looks up at Entrapta properly again. "I do not think so. I... Do not wish for that." 

Entrapta tilts her head, and Hordak is sure he sees something like relief for a moment. "What're you going to do then?"

"Well..." Hordak actually finds himself tapping his claws together. "If it is desirable to you as well then I would like to stay with you, wherever you go. It does not... Really matter to me where." It's harder to get out than he imagined it would be, more vulnerable than he realized. Momentarily worry and panic fill him.

Then Entrapta smiles wide. "I want to be with you too. So yes! You may!"

The relief is palpable. It makes him laugh, his low rumbling laugh. It causes a few people to look over in surprise but he doesn't care, he can't care. He feels good in this moment, affirmed in the new future he wants. Judging eyes and old hatreds, for this moment, need not exist. 

And so this time Hordak initiates a hug with Entrapta. Pulling her close, and holding her firm. She squeaks in surprise but returns it, and for a moment Hordak considers that perhaps he should take a page from Scorpia and become 'a hugger' himself 

Then he quickly decides that he doesn't actually want that, this moment is just special.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes this is a spiritual successor to Lord and Lady for those who read that. Buckle up.


End file.
